sudo before version 1.8.18p1 is vulnerable to a bypass in the sudo noexec restriction if application run via sudo executed wordexp() C libra
sudo before version 1.8.18p1 is vulnerable to a bypass in the sudo noexec restriction if application run via sudo executed wordexp() C library function with a user supplied argument. A local user permitted to run such application via sudo with noexec restriction could possibly use this flaw to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges.
- Published
- May 29, 2018
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.5% · 40th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-184
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Report tools
Action score
31
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.5%
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.8
- CNA · redhat
- 6.4
- 1.4 point gap
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| sudo project | sudo | cpe:2.3:a:sudo_project:sudo |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- sudo project sudo1.6.8 and later · up to 1.8.18 inclusive
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
[UNKNOWN] sudo
- sudo 1.8.18p1affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | sudo | before 1.8.18p1-1 | 1.8.18p1-1 |
| Debian:7 | sudo | before 1.8.5p2-1+nmu3+deb7u2 | 1.8.5p2-1+nmu3+deb7u2 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | sudo | before 1.9.7p2-1.4 | 1.9.7p2-1.4 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | sudo | before 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 | 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | sudo-debuginfo | before 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 | 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | sudo-devel | before 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 | 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | sudo | before 0:1.8.6p7-21.el7_3 | 0:1.8.6p7-21.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | sudo-debuginfo | before 0:1.8.6p7-21.el7_3 | 0:1.8.6p7-21.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | sudo-devel | before 0:1.8.6p7-21.el7_3 | 0:1.8.6p7-21.el7_3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1 | sudo | before 1.8.10p3-2.6.1 | 1.8.10p3-2.6.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2 | sudo | before 1.8.10p3-8.1 | 1.8.10p3-8.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | sudo | before 1.7.6p2-0.29.1 | 1.7.6p2-0.29.1 |
Same product
sudo project: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2021-3156Sudo before 1.9.5p2 contains an off-by-one error that can result in a heap-based buffer overflow, which allows privilege escalation to root KEV91Now
- CVE-2025-32463Sudo before 1.9.17p1 allows local users to obtain root access because /etc/nsswitch.conf from a user-controlled directory is used with the -KEV79This week
- CVE-2019-14287In Sudo before 1.8.28, an attacker with access to a Runas ALL sudoer account can bypass certain policy blacklists and session PAM modules, a54Plan
- CVE-2023-22809In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_ED48Plan
- CVE-2019-18634In Sudo before 1.8.26, if pwfeedback is enabled in /etc/sudoers, users can trigger a stack-based buffer overflow in the privileged sudo proc37Monitor
- CVE-2025-32462Sudo before 1.9.17p1, when used with a sudoers file that specifies a host that is neither the current host nor ALL, allows listed users to e36Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:sudo | 1.8.18p1-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:sudo | 1.9.7p2-1.4 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:sudo | 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:sudo-debuginfo | 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:sudo-devel | 0:1.8.6p3-25.el6_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:sudo | 1.7.6p2-0.29.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-184 · Incomplete List of Disallowed InputsCVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Double EncodingCAPEC-120likelihood: Low · Medium
- Command DelimitersCAPEC-15likelihood: High · High
- Flash InjectionCAPEC-182likelihood: High · Medium
- Using Leading 'Ghost' Character Sequences to Bypass Input FiltersCAPEC-3likelihood: Medium · Medium
- Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-43likelihood: Medium · High
- Argument InjectionCAPEC-6likelihood: High · High
- Using Unicode Encoding to Bypass Validation LogicCAPEC-71likelihood: Medium · High
- User-Controlled FilenameCAPEC-73likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
- rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2872.html
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/95778
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-7076
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20181127-0002/
- usn.ubuntu.com/3968-1/
- usn.ubuntu.com/3968-3/
- www.sudo.ws/alerts/noexec_wordexp.html
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.